Job Discussion Forums

legaleagle05 · Joined: 05 Sep 2005 Posts: 10

Hi, I have been living and working in China for the past 3 years and am so glad to be out and back in my home country and civilization... believe me, China says that they have 5000 years of history, but they still have not changed a bit.

Here is why:
1) People still urinate on the side of the streets
2) Most kids are sent to the schools to be babysat for the parents, so they do not care what they learn.
3) Positions that require a qualification and experience are filled by incompetent and reactive Chinese who do not have a clue about their job, so they tell other Chinese to do it for them, as well as placing the responsibility on the foreign teacher to do something.
4) Chinese admin and management do not have any initiative at all in the many schools that I have worked in.
5) Clowns and talkers will do well, not real teachers.
6) Students at a much lower level of English are placed in the same class a students who are at a higher level, this not only makes teaching difficult but also make you accountible. In China, it is not the school's fault if the students does not learn and/or fails, it is the teacher's fault.
7) Money is a BIG factor at schools that I have been to, unless a foreign manager is placed in charge because Chinese at the helm only care about the RMB.
Cool

When getting into a Taxi... the easiest way to confuse the driver and let him think for quite a while and not more anywhere is to show him where you want to go. The best thing is just to tell the driver the name of the street and when you get there, you direct HIM. Otherwise, you will not go anywhere.
9) The food is VERY delicious and CHEAP.
10) You've been to one city, you've been to all, they are all alike in planning... so why bother.
11) Stick to the 5 or 6 developed cities, unless you want to live like a primitive.

If you want to go to a school in China to teach, make sure that the management are foreigners and NOT Chinese because of the above reasons...

China is not really a place for someone who is efficient minded, as the people do not have any logic and are very rude. Although I have though several people in management who are quite switched on.

Because my experiences have been with Delter most of my 3 years in China, the above relates to this school system. It is basically a joke, specually if a Chinese manage is in charge.

Another thing you will notice about Chinese management is that they are only talk and no action, they just want to please the teacher in the short term. Some schools are very very stingy, to the tune that they will make sure you have to sign in for basis school teaching aids and rationalize them same, the very things that the students paid for. This in turns obstructs teaching.

To sum up a Chinese person:

They only use their minds to benefit themselves. If they can scam, lie, cheat and decieve you to get what they want, they will do it, otherwise they are non thinkers, as others have to tell them what to do.

China has many beautiful places, but I would never want to go back there to work. If you really want to experience something special, go to Taiwan, Korea or Japan..... forget about China. Unless you want to find a Chinese woman (quite easy).

I may add to this as I think of more things...

If you do not believe me, PM me and I will tell you specifics. There are many teachers who are dissatisfied with the Chinese language schools.. in particular, Delter/Telfort.

tw · Joined: 04 Jun 2005 Posts: 3898

anthyp · Joined: 16 Apr 2004 Posts: 1320 Location: Chicago, IL USA

*Yawn* If you're going to slag off working in China, please, PLEASE make it interesting for those of us who actually enjoy living here.

This list of yours nearly put me to sleep, I mean I've heard it all so many times before. I have been living here for just over a year and a half and I can't say I am terribly impressed anymore by whiners and crybabies who think working in a developing country will be a bed of roses. You came here and found that, wow, people are actually poor in parts of the world and aren't very educated, wow who would have thought it?

I applaud your bravery in staying here three years, however, in spite of how much it must have disgusted and upset you. How did you do it, I know for myself that if I didn't like living in a place I wouldn't spend more time there than I absolutely had to. Or maybe you just stayed so you could compile this brilliant collection of observations? Please, share more of your wisdom with the forum.

By the way, you mention this as one of the reasons you're glad to be home:

P-T · Posted: Mon Sep 19, 2005 11:06 am Post subject:

Hmmmm, that list reminds me of Russia, Australia, & New Zealand! Where there are men, there are people urinating in the streets, that's life. Don't sweat what you can't change!

Nothing in that list is worth missing out on the opportunity to visit a new country, meet new people, & have an amazing experience!
My opinion is, if you want to see the bad, you will, but if you make a little effort & look for the good, you'll be overwhelmed.

I'm still a freshy at this game so perhaps I'm being naive. I don't doubt there are some awful places in this world of ours, but surely if you find yourself in one, you pack up & move on. Staying where you hate to be seems masochistic to me.

You've made some useful comments though, & I'll bear them in mind.

Babala · Joined: 28 Jan 2005 Posts: 1303 Location: Henan

A list of negatives can be made for any country in the world. If you are unhappy, go home. I've been here over 3 1/2 years and I still love it.

jeffinflorida · Posted: Mon Sep 19, 2005 11:27 am Post subject:

Hey it took you 3 years to figure out that dogs are smarter than the Chinese people?

I learned that in about 1 month.

legaleagle05 · Joined: 05 Sep 2005 Posts: 10

legaleagle05 · Joined: 05 Sep 2005 Posts: 10

tw · Joined: 04 Jun 2005 Posts: 3898

legaleagle05 · Joined: 05 Sep 2005 Posts: 10

tw wrote:

legaleagle05 wrote:

Actually, I worked in Beijing at a VERY good school and later wanted to see other parts of China, so I asked for a transfer. It was the last 8 months of working in China that I was unfortunate working with Chinese incompetence and don't give a crap attitude. Man, as every day passed... I was counting on the days to leave.

I don't love China but I don't hate it either. I tolerate it and I do try my best to enjoy every tour of duty here. I can only assume that once you left Beijing and saw the REAL China, you got your first true taste of culture shock. If you think Beijing = China, then you are wrong. Face it, as compared to most parts of China, Beijing is far more developed and definitely by far more modern and Western. If anyone ever wishes to experience real/old China, I suggest they go to less populated places. Have you ever taken a walk in a Chinese village? It's quite fascinating. The sights and sounds are beyond description.

Quote:

China is dirty and it is NOT a developing country but still a third world country. You can't really characterize a country to be developed with only a handful of cities that are up to world standards or getting there. The rest of the town and cities don't even have a proper sewerage system... Indonesia is a developing country.

I didn't even say anything about China being a developed country. So I can only assume that your response, and for that matter your reason for starting this thread in the first place was trolling. I second anthyp's comment that there is nothing we haven't heard of before in your list, usually from newbies experiencing culture shock.

Quote:

There are many teachers who are dissatisfied with the Chinese language schools.. in particular, Delter/Telfort.

Ah, this explains a lot of things.

Quote:

Unless you want to find a Chinese woman (quite easy).

Is that why you stayed in China for so long? Confused

BTW, some FT's here will probably tell you from personal experiences that western-managed language training centres are often no better than Chinese-managed companies. Ever heard of English First?

You are quite mistaken... trolling? Get real mate. This is what the majority of teachers say when they leave China. You misunderstood me, I meant SCHOOL not going to a less developed city. I have probably been to more countries that most of the people here... no culture shock for me.. except for the fact that a lot of Chinese men like to spit and when they gather their flep and the sound they do it at in public and in the classroom is just disgusting.

Easy women for me? I think not, as I am married but I was just saying from obversation. Many western men go to China to fool around and to get a free holiday by working as a teacher.

mmm... pancakes · Joined: 07 Sep 2005 Posts: 92

stil · Joined: 23 Jun 2003 Posts: 259 Location: Hunan

Volodiya · Posted: Mon Sep 19, 2005 2:50 pm Post subject:

I'm really sorry the OP has not had a rewarding time here. For me, the country is amazing in almost every respect. For perspective, the OP probably needs to do some time in a "truly" difficult environment.

By contrast, he would find the officialdom here is very benign.

Pay, relative to expenses, is very favorable to the FT.

The people are, for the most part, quite kind and accomodating. (Their notions of proper public behavior do not equate with the west but, so what? We could be sitting home, if we didn't want to see great gobs of spit on the pavement; but, when I was young, it was common place in America, too, to spit everywhere. China will, perhaps, catch up in these petty concepts of proper behavior in the next twenty years, or so.)

There are easier places to live, but there are many places in the world that are far harder....

To speak candidly, I find the things the OP's complained of to be pretty "run of the mill"; hardly worth working up a sweat over, in the life of an experienced FT.

GeminiTiger · Posted: Mon Sep 19, 2005 3:49 pm Post subject:

It's a car
It's a plane

It's flaming troll boy!

Only an idiot would stay in a place for 3 years he/she didn't enjoy.

Keath · Posted: Mon Sep 19, 2005 9:26 pm Post subject:

You'll be back in a year.